In industrial applications requiring the handling of fluids such as water, lubricants, chemical solutions, liquid foodstuffs, etc., often it is necessary to remove gaseous contaminants from the fluid to prevent problems such as rust formation, the generation of annoying noise during the movement of industrial fluids, oil starvation in lubrication systems, inefficiency and inaccuracy in hydraulic systems, and nonuniform quality in chemical or foodstuff materials.
In order to remove gaseous contaminants from those fluids, devices employing buoyancy and/or centrifugal force have been used, examples of which are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,511,967, 3,771,290, and 4,790,762, and U.K Patent No. 1,144,833.
No compact and efficient device has heretofore been known, however, which is capable of simultaneously removing both entrained bubbles and dissolved gases in a fluid under a reduced pressure condition.
Such a device is particularly desirable though in the engine manufacturing industry and in the hydraulic system manufacturing industry. In the engine manufacturing industry, with the recent increase of rotational speed and output of automobile and motorcycle engines, the importance of removal of gaseous contaminants in engine oil has increased. Excess gaseous contaminants in engine oil can cause serious difficulties, such as excess wear of lubricated parts due to oil starvation and a loss of efficiency of hydraulic systems such as valve lifters. In hydraulic systems, gaseous contaminants in the hydraulic fluid cause problems such as increasing the compressibility of the fluid, resulting in inaccuracy and inefficiency of hydraulic component operation.
The space available inside an engine compartment of an automobile and around a hydraulic system is generally not sufficient to accommodate a gas separator. Hence, a compact and efficient gas separator is desired which promotes durability, accuracy and efficiency of engines and hydraulic systems.